Fitz and the Tantrums want to get the crowd moving (video)

Fitz and the Tantrums draw on classic sounds, but try to avoid being too retro. (Chapman Baehler photo)

“Get ready to dance, Mobile.”

The advice comes from Michael Fitzpatrick, frontman for Fitz and the Tantrums, a group appearing April 17 in downtown Mobile. To judge from the band’s reputation, the occasion promises to carry listeners into the depths of a good ole’ fashion soul revival.

To the band itself, riding the whirlwind is nothing new. Fitzpatrick was speaking in mid-March, moments after touching down in Austin, Texas, for a string of shows at South by Southwest.

“We just landed. We have 11 performances lined up this week before we head off to do eight days of press and promotion in Europe,” he said.

From late night talk show appearances to national tours it’s been a wickedly fast rise to success for the group. As the story goes, the Los Angeles-based songwriter, known as Fitz to his friends, bought an old church organ from a garage sale in 2009. He credits the band’s sound and mystique to the instrument’s esoteric properties.

“I was lucky enough to get possession of this old vintage church organ for like fifty bucks, brought it in my living, and turned it on,” Fitzpatrick said. Sometimes you get hold of an instrument that’s so vibey and inspiring that it feels like anything you do on it can be a song, and having been a singer my whole life, it was about trying to find an authentic voice, you know. What is true to you?”

By LUKE BUCKLEY,

Correspondent

Soon after he wrote the band’s first song, “Breakin’ The Chains of Love,” Fitzpatrick contacted an old college chum, James King. The two began arranging music and recruiting members, and King became the saxophonist for the band.

Once formed, the group got to work recording its first EP, “Songs for a Breakup, Vol. 1,” in Fitzpatrick’s living room. After playing some shows and gaining national notoriety, Fitz and The Tantrums were signed to Dangerbird Records in 2010.

“The label is literally around the block from my house,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s incredibly exciting some days to know that all this good stuff is happening and at the same time we’ve all been around the business and we know that there is a lot to be grateful for. Every day more and more good stuff is happening and we’re getting busier and busier. We’re just trying to hang on. I’ve gotten to do everything I’ve ever wanted to do.”

The band’s full-length release, titled “Pickin’ Up The Pieces,” has received mixed reviews, but its overall sound is solid, danceable and sure to get your cocktail hour poppin’ off.

Fitzpatrick attributes the band’s rise and the popularity of soul music today to none other than the critically acclaimed matriarch of new-soul, Sharon Jones.

“A lot of that credit can be given to Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings,” he said. “They were truly sort of the first ones to bring it back and were incredibly influential in Amy Winehouse’s career. We were lucky enough that they asked us to go on tour with them last spring.” (Members of the Dap-Kings performed extensively on Winehouse’s breakthrough “Back to Black” album, and are credited by many for a key role in its distinctive retro sound. The band also backed Winehouse on her first U.S. tour.)

Fitz & the Tantrums, with April Smith & the Great Picture Show opening.

8:30 p.m. April 17 at Soul Kitchen, 219 Dauphin St. in downtown Mobile.

$9.21 in advance, $13 day of show; available through www.soulkitchen.com; by calling 800-594-TIXX; and at the Mellow Mushroom in west Mobile. Patrons younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult or legal guardian.

With all this talk of a soul revival, one cannot help but remember bands with names like The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies and The Squirrel Nut Zippers, whose neo-swing sounds dominated alternative radio airplay in the late ‘90s. Their all-too-campy aesthetics got people thinking that dressing like professional bowlers was okay, putting olive oil in their hair was cool and signing up for swing lessons made them more attractive to potential mates. Fitz and his Tantrums said their music has its start in soul, but that they are not painting themselves into a corner.

“The music is definitely rooted in soul but at the same time we didn’t want to make a carbon copy of the music of that time,” he said. “There is a lot of ‘80s music references in there and if you listen to the record you’ll hear hip-hop influences as well. It was never really a conscious thing, it’s just the way it came together.”

Fitz can croon. There is no doubt about that. His baritone bravado at times possesses the timbre and swagger of Welsh-born singer Tom ‘The Tiger’ Jones. His dancing, on the other hand, can be easily mistaken for a tantrum.

“I’m a tall skinny white dude so I have my awkward white guy moments, but I love dancing. I’ve always been a dancer, my whole life,” he said. “I can say that some people probably think I have some pretty funny moves on stage.”

He went on to say that the band aims to please, and members pride themselves on their ability to get the audience involved. They will certainly have their work cut out for them in Mobile.

“On my first trip in the South we had such an amazing time,” Fitzpatrick said. “There was just an amazing energy and people were kind to us. They took us into their homes and fed us. For a West Coast boy like myself I found it fascinating.”